Lubricating compound



Patented A r, 20,- 1937 PATENT" OFFICE v LUBRICATING COMPOUND Carl E. Lauer, Port Arthur, Tex., assignor to The Texas Company New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application July 6, 1936, Serial No. 7 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricating oils and particularly to lubricants for railroad and the like car journals and bearings, having relatively high lubricating qualities at temperatures well below zero Fahrenheit and at the normal temperatures of'friction surfaces of such journals and bearings taken when a car is in motion.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Serial Number 680,459, filed July 14, 1933.

The conventional method of'lubricating railroad and street railway and the like car journals and bearings briefly consists of packing the journal box beneath the journal with oil-soaked waste and, as the journal rotates or revolves across the waste, it picks up a film of oil which is carriedaround to the bearing surface. The waste is ordinarily packed in journal boxes to such levels that the time and extent of the contact of the journal surface=with the oily waste is sufflcient to impart an adequate and uniform film of oil to the journal surface.

It has been found by experience that so-called waste-grabbing or waste-rolling by a journal is I probably the main cause of hot boxes on cars. Waste-grabbing usually consists in picking up particles or strands of waste by the journal sur-'" face and carrying them under the bearing where they become lodged between the surfaces of the bearing and the journal. This results in throwing the journal and bearing out of alignment and a consequent heating of the surfaces.

Waste-grabbing is usually caused by stickiness or tackiness of the oil employed, so that the oil film adhering to the journal surface tends to drag loose strands out of the body of the waste.

Iii-some instances when the oil is of an exceedingly tacky character, and also where the waste may be improperly packed, the drag may be so 0 great thatportions of the body of waste may;

berolled over or tumbled over by the rotating journal. This is commonly referred to as wasterolling and may ocasionally cause injuries as serious as waste-grabbing does. Scoring of the journal and bearing surfaces also may frequently be caused by carbonizing of the portions ofwaste next to the journal surface. This is usually due to inadequate capillary action, perhaps on account of the extremely sticky 'or viscous 7 condition of the oil.

The natural stickiness of anoil becomes more pronounced on lowering the temperature, and, depending on the oil, it may become exceedinglyviscous and sticky and substantially valueless as 55 a lubricant for railway journals On the other practice, however, has not met with complet suchand, an oil whichmay be suitable-as a free flowing lubricant during cold weather, say to temperatures as low as -45 F., may be so thin or non-viscous at the high temperatures to which such bearing surfaces are subjected in the hot summer, say up to 300 F., that it has little value as a lubricant. For this reason it has been custo'mary in the past to furnish separate winter grades and summer grades of lubricants. This 10 cess for in winter weather in the colder c imate when the temperature of the atmosphere may be about 40 F., a bearing may be warmed up to 200 F, or more under normal operating conditions on a long haul. I

The present invention contemplates a car journal oil having high lubricating value at normal .and relatively high temperatures and which retains its good lubricating qualities at low atmospheric temperatures.

The lubricants of this invention may be prepared by blending in appropriate proportions a refined and substantially dewaxed residual fraction of a paraflinebase crude oil and a refined partially dewaxe d distillate fraction, preferably, though not necessarily, from the same parafl'lne base crude oil. The. residual fraction .is preferably prepared by subjecting a high grade long residuum to the usual refining and dewaxing treatment which is then vacuum distilled to remove the lower boiling lubricating oil fractions and until its viscosity is over '700 seconds Saybolt universal at 2105' F. The distillate frahtion is\ preferably prepared by subjecting abigh grade flight lubricating oil stock to the usual refinin and wax expression treatment except that his not necessarily filtered or decolorized. These two ingredient fractions may have the following tests approximately:-

Distillate a 29. 8 325 F. 370 F. 71 Sec.

two of the most used. blends-which might be produced from the above mentioned stocks when employing about the proportions indicated:

15 An oil of the character described may be manufactured in several grades as indicated, with particular reference to viscosity, to provide proper lubrication for various axle loadings and other Journal conditions.

20' It is to be noticed that the pour test of the blended products is considerably lower than the pour tests of the respective ingredient oils. This phenomenon is readily explained by considering the reasons for the high pour tests of the in- 25 'gredient oils. The pour test of the distillate oil is due to the presence of small quantities of waxy constituents while the pour test of the residuum is due entirely to the thickening or congealing of the high molecular weight hydrocarbons present 30 therein. When the oils are mixed, the mutual dilution results in a decreased concentration of both the waxy constituents and the high molecularweight hydrocarbons so that their effects in producing high pour points are substantially re- 35 duced.- i

' Among the foremost advantages of the oil are the ease of preparation, the fact that it has long life with little or no deterioration due to ageing, its freedom of acid forming constituents, facility 40 of application and reclamation, and almost complete lack of tendency to emulsify with water.

As a further advantage of the lubricant ofthe present invention, its wetting quality, or its capillary action in waste at widely variant tempera- 45 tures is such that a rotating journal is readily supplied witlran adequate film of lubricant.

In an actual test of the compounded lubricating oils prepared in accordance with this invention it was found that the oils continued to lubricate 50 properly at a temperature of 54.5 F. Even after maintaining the test journal at this temperature for a twenty-four hour period, there was nolsign of waste-grabbing upon rotating the journa 55 In this connection, and in connection with the pour point, it is pointed out that although certain grades of the finished product may cease to pour at F. or slightly above or below, they do not ccngeal into relatively non-lubricating solid 0 mases at temperatures even well below zero. On

the contrary they remain soft and smooth or butter-like with oily portions visible throughout at exceedingly low temperatures.

Thus, even though it does congeal or become so viscous that it ceases to pour, yet it does not lose its lubricating qualifies at low temperatures and, because of its smooth oily character, it does not start waste-grabbing at the lower temperatures.

The oil is further characterized by a compara-' 70 tively flat viscosity curve and a relatively high viscosity index. (See discussionof viscosity index of oils by Dean and Davis in an article entitled Viscosity Variations of Oils with Temperature appearing in Chemical & Metallurgical 75 Engineering, 1929, pages 618 and 619.)

'ing value at high or low temperatures.

The low pour point and fiat viscosity curve or high viscosity index characteristics of the blend, already discussed, are accompanied by the highly important characteristic of retaining its lubricat- These characteristics or qualities are undoubtedly due to the combining of the individual qualities of the less viscous distillate fraction and the more viscous residual fraction.

As a further example of the invention, a blend of 40% of a dewaxed paraflln base residuum of the character mentioned above, with 60% of a light distillate paraflin base lubricating oil of the character previously set forth, gave the following tests:

Gravity, A. P. I 25.0 Flash (C. O. C.) 330 F. Fire (C. O. C.) 360 F. S. U. vis. 100 F 291 S. U. vis. 210 F 54 Four, A. S. T. M Below 0 F. Tarry matter 0.06 Insoluble impurities 0.02

While in the specific examples given above, a pa'raflln base residuum is mentioned, it is to be understood that satisfactory products can be prepared from other types of residuums, such as mixed base residuum. For example, very satisfactory car oils of this character have been prepared by using a residuum from Manvel crude, which is a mixed,base oil of low wax content and rather predominating naphthenic characteristics, the residuum having a viscosity at 210 F. in of excess of 600. Such a residuum may be blended with a paraflin base residuum in addition to the light distillate lubricating oil, or the residuum may be used alone with the light distillate lubricating oil. A residuum from a low wax-bearing crude of this character may be employed without dewaxing, particularly where the light distillate lubricating oil with which it is blended has been dewaxed to a low pour test of the order of that desired in the final blend. Typical tests of a Manvel residuum of this character are as follows:

A blend of 40% of the above mentioned Manvel residuum with 60% of a light distillate paraflln base lubricating oil of the character of that set out above,'gave the following tests:

Gravity, A. P. I 26.1 Flash (0. O. C.) 315 F. Fire (C'. O. C.) 345 F. s. vis. 100 F 294 Y s. U. vis. 210-F.-. 54 Pour, A. S. T. M 0 F. Tarry matter 0.02 Insoluble impurities 0.02

In the above example, the light distillate paraffln base lubricating oil used in the blend had been dewaxed to a pour of 0 F.

As an example of a blend of a mixed base residuum with a paraflin base residuum and a light distillate lubricating oil, a'mixture of 15% of the above noted Manvel residuum with 25% of parafiin base residuum of the character of Gravity, A. P. I 17.3 Flash (C. O. C.) 620 F. Fire,(C. O. C.) 710 F. S. U.'vis. 210 F 706 Pour, A. S. T. M 65 F.

Carbon residue 6.6 Precipitation number 0.01%

that set out above, and a light distillate paraflin base lubricating oil of the character of that set out in the tests on the distillate above, gave the following tests:

- Gravity, A. P. I 25.5

Flash (C. O. C.) 320 F. Fire (C. O. C.) 360 F. S. U. vis. 100 F 292 S. U. vis. 210 F 53 Pour, A. S. T. M F. Tarry matter 0.05 Insoluble impurities 0.05

. While in the specific examples 'mentioned above, the light distillate lubricating oil had a viscosity at 100-F. below 100, it is to be understood that satisfactoryca'r oils of this character can be produced by using a light distillate lubricating oil, either paraflin base, mixed base or naphthene base, having a viscosity below about Where the expression paraflin base is used throughout the description and claims, it is to be understood that this refers to either a strict paraflin base oil of Pennsylvania type, or to a mixed base'or Mid-Continent oil of high wax content and predominating paraflinic characteristics.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the invention, as hereinbefore set forth, may

be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim: v 3

l. A lubricant adapted for saturating railway car journal waste and for the lubrication of such journals comprising a blend of a dewaxed paraflin base residuum having a viscosity of over 700 seconds Saybolt universal at 210 F. and a large proportion of a distillate paraffin base lubricating oil having a viscosity of below 100 seconds Saybolt universal at 100 F., saidblend having a viscosity in the range of from 150 to 350 seconds Saybolt universal at 100 F., said lubricant having the property of withstanding temperatures as low as -45 F. without waste-grabbing or wasterolling, while affording adequate lubrication at elevated temperatures up to 300 F.

2. A lubricant for saturating railway car journal waste and for the lubrication of such journals, comprising a blend of from to 50% of a dewaxed paraffin base residuum having a viscosity at 210 F., Saybolt universal, of over 700 seconds, and from 80% to 50% of a distillate paraffin base lubricating oil having a viscosity at 100 F., Saybolt universal, of below 100 seconds, said blend having a viscosity at 100 F., Saybolt universal, of from 150 to 350 seconds, and a pour point, A. S. T. M., not in excess of about 0 F.

3. A lubricant adapted for saturating, railway car journal waste and for the lubrication of such journals characterized by having ii. viscosity index of above 80 and a viscosity of between and 60 seconds Saybolt universal at 210 F., comprisingablend of a dewaxed paraflin base residuum having a viscosity of over 700 seconds Saybolt universal at 210 F. and a large proportion of a distillate paraflin base lubricating oil having a viscosity below 100 seconds Saybolt universal at ;100 F., said lubricant having the property of sal at 210 F. and a distillate paraflin base oil hav ing a gravity of the order of 29 A. P. I. and having a viscosity of below 100 seconds Saybolt universal .at 100 F.

5. A lubricant for saturating railway car journal waste and for the lubrication of such journals, comprising a blend of 20% to 50% of a heavy residual mineral oil of low wax content and a viscosity ofover approximately 700 seconds at 210 F. Saybolt universal, and 80% to 50% of a light distillate lubricating a viscosity in the range of from.150 to 350 seconds Saybolt universal at 100 F., and a pour point not in excess of about 0 F., said lubricant having the property of withstanding temperatures as low as F. without waste-grabbing or waste-rolling, while affording adequate lubrication at elevated temperatures up to 300 F.

6. A lubricant for saturating railway car journal waste and for the lubrication of such journals, comprising a blend of 20% to of a heavy residual mineral oil having a viscosity of over approximately 600 seconds Saybolt universal at 210 F., and 80% to 50% of a light distillate lubricating oil having a viscosity below about 200 seconds Saybolt universal at 100 F., said blend having a viscosity in the range of from 150 to 350 seconds Saybolt universal at 100 F.

'7. A lubricant for saturating railway car journal waste and for the lubrication of such journals, comprising a blend of 20% to 50% of a heavy residual mineral oil of low wax content and having a viscosity in excess of approximately 600 seconds Saybolt universal at 210 F., and 80% to 50% ofa light distillate lubricating oil dewaxed to a pour point of about 0 F. or below and having a viscosity below Saybolt universal at 100 F., said blend having a viscosity in the range of from 150 to 350 seconds Saybolt universal at 100 F., and a pour point not excess of 0 F., said lubricant having the property of withstanding temperatures as low as -45 F. without waste-grabbing or waste-rolling, while alluding adequate lubrication at elevated temperatures up to 300 F.

CARL E. LAUER.

oil, said blend having about 200 seconds 

